China Is Using Facial Recognition to Nab Jaywalkers; Investors Get Interested

Beijing-based SenseTime now valued at more than $1.5 billion

SHANGHAI—A Chinese startup that sells facial recognition systems to police forces secured venture-capital funding that values it at more than $1.5 billion, underscoring the sector’s emergence as one of technology’s hottest areas of interest.

Beijing-based SenseTime Co., which provides surveillance systems using facial recognition to Chinese law enforcement agencies, said Tuesday it raised $410 million in new funding from investors,...